Foot accelerator



Aug. 10 1926; 1,595,430

W. H. THOMAS FOOT ACCELERATOR Filed Jan. 25, 192e 2 sheets-sheet 1 '//f//Ifff i /4 Wa/zfz GYM/m: W gy 2. y WWW/my Aug. 10 1926. y 1,595,430y

W. H. THOMAS FooT AocELERATcR FiledAJan. 25, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nil Patented Aug. 10, 1926.

UNiTED STATES WALTERH. THOMAS, or srnivcnn, IOWA.

FOOT ACCELERATOR.

Application filed. January 25, 1926. Serial No. 83,602.

The object of my invention'is to Vprovide a foot accelerator of simple, durable and inexpensive construction, peculiarly adapted for operating the fuel throttleV valve from the footboard of a car. f

My device `has such rangement of parts as to adapt it especially for use with Ford'cars having the' carburetor in which the throttle valve is located at the upper part of the engine.

1With this and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my foot accelerator, whereby the .objects contemplated are attained,` as hereinafter more fully-set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a vertical, sectional view through the body of a car having an engine shown in side elevation with my improved foot accelerator installed thereon.

Figure 2 showsv a top or plan view `of the engine and foot accelerator and other parts, the dash and steering post being shown in section.

Figure 3 is a vertical, sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FigureQ.

Figure 4 is a detail, sectional on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a horizontal. sectional View taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1; and

Figure 6 is a vertical, sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3. Y

In the drawings herewith, 'trate lone form of my invention and the manner in which it may be installed upon the car, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate generally the frame of a Ford automobile.

Supported on the frame is the body having the inclined Vfootboard 11, the dashv 12, cowl 13 and instrument board 14. Supported on the frame also is the engineindicated generally rby the reference character view taken At the front of the engine is the radiator he engineV is covered byy the ordinary hood 17. On the engine is the carburetor 18, the heating device 18a, having the cover plate 19, held in place by fastening devices or bolts 19a, and the intake passage 20 leadf ing to the intakeV manifold 21.

In the passage 20 is the ordinary throttle valve 22, having the 4projecting' stem 23.y

-o structure andarlimiting Vthe bracket 33,

which illus- Mounted on the stem 2 3 is an arm 24, having at 'one end a projection 25 adapted to engage tlie intake manifold 21, which thus serves as a stop when the throttle valve is en. Mounted in the arm 24 on the opposite side of the stem 23 from the extension 25 is an adjusting' screw 26, which may be adthe intake manifold 21 for justed to engage movement of the the closing throttle valve. Y

On the Ford car is the hand throttle controlrod 27 mounted in the steering `post 28. Fixed on the hand throttle rod 27 is the'arm 29, which in the ordinary Ford car, is connected withv the Varm 24 by a link. That ylink is removed when my device is used.

my im- I will now describe the parts of proved foot accelerator and the mannerA assembling them on the car.

I may use a foot throttle control rod siniilar to that shown in my co-pending application,r Serial No. f 80,492, filed January 11, 1926, slidably mounted in the footboard `11, or may use thefoot pedal 3()r on the substantially U-shaped lever'31, which is projected through an opening 32 in the floor board 11,

linst below the floor board to leaving one of its arms projecting downwardly and slightly rearwardly as at 31a. v i

Pivoted'to the lowery end ofthe arm 31a is a link or rod 34, which projects forwardly and downwardly in the car.

One of the bolts by which the heating device Acover plate 19 is secured in place is removed, and a relatively long bolt 35 is substituted therefor. (See Figures 1y and 3.) "Centrally pivoted on the bolt 35 is a bell and is pivoted crank ylever 36, one arm of which has. a vpivotal connection with the foot control rod #34. The rod 34 has at its rear end a laterally bent portion 38 extending through a hole in the arm 31a of the lever 31, and at its forward end aflaterally bent portion 39 eX- tended throughv a a A lpivot pin or the like42 ismounted in -v one ,arm of the 'flange of the bracket 46 and the bell crank lever 44 is pivoted thereon. Y v Y hole in onev arm of thel ybell cranklever 36.

ico

Mounted in one arm of the bell crank lever 44 (see Figures 3 and 5) is the short rod 45, having' the socket 46 of a ball and socket joint. A ball 47 is mounted in the socket 46 and projecting from Vthe Vbal-l is the rod 48, having the right-angled extension 49, which has at its end theY socket v'50 internally screW-tl'neaded. Screwed into the socket 50 is a short link or rod 5l on which is a lock nut 52.

The other arm of the bell crank lever 36 has mounted therein a short rod 53 having at one end the socket54 of a ball and socket joint. Received in the socket is the ball .55 on which is the short rod 56 with the right-angled extension 57 terminating in the internally screiv-threaded socket 58 into Which is screwed the other end of the rod 5l.

A short vlink 59 is pivoted to the arm ot' the bell crank lever 44.

Fivoted to the upper endof the lever 44 is one end ofa transverse rod 60. Therod 60 has a short right-angled extension 6l eX- tended through a hole in the arm 24 and also through a hole in the link 59.

vOn the bolt 35 is mounted a coil spring 62, one end of which engages one arm ot' the bell crank lever 36 and the other end of which is arranged under a shoulder 63 ot the carburetor structure yin such manner as to hold the spring under tension and to normally, yieldingly hold the parts in such position asto hold the throttle valve closed.

Rotatably mounted in the arm 29 on the foot throttle control rod 27 as perhaps best shown in Figure 4 is a spindle 64 oll a journal block 65, through Which lthe Vrod 60 `is slidably extended, as shown .in Figures 3 and 4.

The end of the rod 60, Which is extended through .the journal block 65 is provided With `some suitable stop device, as for instance the cotter pin 66 extended through it, and spaced from such stop device a suitable distance is a collar 67 adjustably mounted on the rod 60 and held in any adjusted posit-ion by means of a setscrew68.

The parts are so construetedand arranged and assembled on the car that When they are in normal position, the spring 62 yieldably holds the lever 24 in position, When the throttle valve is in its closed position.

The rod 60 is then at its left-hand limit of movement as illustrated `in Figure 3.

The collar 67 then stands adjacent to the journal block 65.-

VVhen vthe hand throttle lever is actuated for rotating the rod .27 for the` throttle opening operation, the journal block 65 engages the colla-r 67 and moves the rod 60 from its full line position shown in Figure 3 toward the right to its dotted line 'position shown in'that ligure.

This swings the lever 24 from its full line spring 62 actuates the yparts ot my device tor closing the throttle valve.

It Will thus be seen that the. foot accelerator mechanism may be operated for actu ating the throttle control lever 24, andL While this actuates the rod 60, it does not atleet the arm 29 and the handle to Athe throttle rod 27. i

l/.Vhen .the hand throttle rod .is actuated, the throttlelever 24 may likewise be .oper-- ated, and the foot accelerator parts move freely, except as such movement is resisted CII by thel spring' 62 during throttle opening y movement.

lt the throttle is opened by hand, and the hand throttle rod 29 is then rotated Vback to its original starting position, the' spring 62 will actuate the parts for closing the throttle valve and sliding the rod 60 to the lett until the collar 67 stands adjacent to the journal block 65.

vChanges may be. made in the details oi the construction and arrangement of my improved toot accelerator structure Without departing from the real .invention involved therein, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified ,forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included Within the scope of suc-h claims.

l claim as my invention:

l. The combination of a motor car structure including an engine having a throttle valve near its upper portion, a hand throttle control rod, an arm on said hand throttle Ycontrol rod, a lever for actuating said throttle, and a toot board,.vvith a foot accelerator structure having a rod adapted to be actuated for longitudinal movement by the toot of a driver, a lbell crank lever pivoted on the engine and pivoted. to said toot actuatable rod, a second bell crank lever, means for operatively eonnectingsaid bell vcrank levers, a transverse Xrod having a limited sliding action with the arm on said hand throttle rod, and a pivotal connection with said vthrottle lever, a link pivoted to the second bell crank lever and having a pivotal connection with the throttle lever.

2. The combination of a motor car structure including an engine having a throttle valve nearxitsupper portion, a hand throttle control rod, an arm on said hand throttle control rod, a lever for actuating said throttle, and a foot board With afoot ,accelere-tor structure having va rod` adapted to be actuated tonjlongitudinal `movement by the foot ot a driver, a bell crank lever pivoted on the vengineandpivoted to said iso vvalve near its upper portion,

foot actuatable rod, a second bell crank lever, means for operatively connecting said bell crank levers, a transverse rod having a limited sliding action with the arm on said handle throttle rod and a pivotal connection with said throttle lever, a link pivoted to the second bell crank lever and having a pivotal connection with the throttle lever, one of said bell crank levers being yieldably constrained to move toward one limit of its movement.

3. The combination of a motor car structure including an engine having a throttle a hand throttle control rod, an arm onsaid hand throttle control rod, a lever for actuating said throttle, and a foot board With a foot accelerator' structure having a rod adapted to be actuated for longitudinal movement by the toot ott a driver, a bell crank lever pivoted on the engine and pivoted to said tootk actuatable rod, a second bell crank lever, means for operatively connecting said bell crank levers, a transverse rod having a limited sliding action with vthe arm on said hand throttle rod and a pivotal connection with said throttle lever, a link pivoted to the second bell crank lever and having a pivotal connection with the throttle lever, one of said bell crank levers being yieldably constrained to move toward one limit to be actuated for longitudinal movement l by the 'oot of a driver, a bell crank lever pivoted on the engine and pivoted to saidv toot actuatable rod, a second bell crank lever,

means for operatively connecting said bellV crank levers, a transverse rod having a limited sliding action with the arm on said hand throttlerod, and a pivotal connection with said throttle lever, a link pivoted to the second bell crank lever and having a pivotal connection VWith the throttled lever, the means for mounting one of said levers on the engine comprising a bolt projecting substantially from the engine, said engine having adjacent thereto a shoulder, a coil spring mounted on said bolt and having its ends engaged respectively With said shoulder and with one end of the bell crank lever on said bolt.

VALTER H. THOMAS. 

